every time / all the time

If you say this to a doctor then the doctor will think to himself “Every time you do what?” He will begin to imagine frequent scenarios in your life when you feel tired, for example every time you plough a rice field, or every time you do an IELTS practice test, or every time you lift 200kg above your head. Every time in English is more like the Indonesian setiap kali. What you mean to say is all the time:

Doctor, what’s wrong with me? I feel tired all the time!

And so, every time you say ‘every time’, you should stop and think: Do you actually mean all the time?!

GuruEAP

GuruEAP began as supporting material for face-to-face courses in Indonesia, and so much of the content applies to native speakers of Bahasa Indonesia. However the site has since grown to include more general IELTS and Academic English preparation. Hopefully there's something here for you, too!